Miss Virginia pageant moving to Liberty University

Aug. 22, 2017

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — The Miss Virginia Pageant is moving to Lynchburg after more than 50 years in Roanoke.

The Roanoke Times, citing city officials, reports the 2018 event will be held at Liberty University.

The event affiliated with the Miss America pageant for decades brought dozens of contestants, their supporters and spectators to the Roanoke area. But officials told the newspaper the pageant has been subsidized by multiple organizations and the economic return from that investment has been waning.

Regional tourism official Landon Howard, of Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge, said the area will do "fine without it."

Messages left by the newspaper with Liberty University and Lynchburg's economic development and tourism director were not returned.